Thursday, August 16, 2007

Pike Place Market Celebrates Centennial100 years old 8/17/07

Happy 100 Pike Place Market!!!-- For those that have been to Seattle I am sure you have made a visit to the historical Pikes Market.....So many good times can be remembered with so many visits for flowers and produce and evenings spent at a number of venues having a great dinner and or drinks-- I think we will make a stop tomorrow night and check out the celebration and do a quick cheers to the market! And to think it started because of onions!

We owe the Pike Place Market to onions. Yes, really, onions. A massive onion shortage in 1906 and 1907 caused the price of onions to skyrocket. Outraged citizens, tired of dealing with middlemen to procure their daily onions, demanded a solution. This is where Thomas Revelle stepped in. He proposed a public marketplace where farmers could sell their produce directly to consumers, cutting out middlemen and reducing prices significantly. On August 17th, 1907, eight farmers wheeled their carts onto First avenue and Pike street in front of the (now defunct) Leland Hotel, where they were mobbed by over 10,000 buyers looking for produce. The carts were picked clean and many people went home empty handed. Clearly, the idea was a hit. By November 1907, a permanent covered arcade had been built to shield buyers and sellers from the elements. In the next few years, the market was expanded to house flower peddlers, and a sanitary market was added across the street for the sale of meats. In 1930, the market’s iconic neon sign and clock were put in place.